Instructions on How to delete cookies
from your computer.

DEFINITION Cookies are bits of information the server on the internet deposits in your computer.

What Cookies Do

Some web sites require passwords and/or registration.

Cookies remember your password registration. This lets you skip this step on each visit. This can be a handy thing.

Cookies record your activity and send this information to the web site's computer unbeknownst to you so that they can monitor you, watching where you go.

Cookies let them assemble information about you.

your interests

what you buy

what web page you visit

Worse yet: "Imagine if you browsed a site promoting an AIDS conference, and then you bought plane tickets over the Web to the city where the conference was being held," the information systems analyst and designer asks. "If those two bits of information were sold to your health insurance company, you could find yourself deemed a high risk, and your insurance could be canceled." Tom Negrino, MacWorld.

Sneaky and extremely persistent type of online tracking is shadowing visitors to thousands of top websites, from WhiteHouse.gov to YouPorn.com

Get Rid of Cookies

Add-Ons for Firefox and Chrome Prevents Spying by Ads, Social Widgets, and Hidden Trackers

Nick Nikiforakis explains: all sorts of websites that you’ve never heard about, can create a browsing profile of you and sell it to advertising companies – quantserve.com – scorecardresearch.com – addthis.com
Web-based device fingerprinting
Eckersley showed in 2010 that certain attributes of your browsing environment can be used to accurately track you
These attributes, when combined, created a quite unique fingerprint of your system.
http://www.securitee.org - Nick

download and use Ghostery Ghostery sees the "invisible" web, detecting trackers, web bugs, pixels, and beacons placed on web pages by Facebook, Google Analytics, and over 1,000 other ad networks, behavioral data providers, web publishers - all companies interested in your activity.
After showing you who operates behind the scenes, Ghostery also gives you the opportunity to learn more about each company it identifies, including links to their privacy policy and opt-out options. Ghostery allows you to block scripts from companies that you don't trust, delete local shared objects, and even block images and iframes. Ghostery also includes the optional, opt-in feature called Ghostrank, which sends Ghostery servers anonymous information about the trackers you encounter and where you encounter them. This allows us to create a more comprehensive list of detectable items, and helps us create a more transparent behavioral advertising ecosystem through our partnership with Evidon. Ghostery is built and maintained for users that care about their online privacy, and is engineered with privacy as a primary goal. Ghostery use is anonymous. No registrations or sign-ups are required. The Ghostery plug-in does not place cookies into your browser. Neither the Ghostery application nor Evidon receives any data from Ghostery users unless the user opts-in to participate in Ghostrank. Ghostrank data itslef is anonymous, is NEVER used for advertising targeting purposes, and is only shared in aggregated, non-personal, statistical form.

If you'd rather just delete the current cookie storing searches from your browser and start fresh, clear your browser's cookies.Note: If you've disabled search customizations, you'll need to disable it again after clearing your browser cookies; clearing your Google cookie turns on history-based customizations. Google doesn't need to infer your identity from the content of your other web searches; it already knows it, if you're a Gmail user. This identification can be retroactive. If you used Google search for 3 years on a particular PC, and then signed up for a Gmail account, your search cookie from that PC would be sent to Google and the name you provided for your Gmail account could then be associated retroactively with your entire saved search history. Google cookies last as long as possible -- until 2038.

Browser -> Firefox - > Tools -> Clear Private Data
you can also go into the privacy preference dialog and open Cookies. From there you can remove your search engine cookies and click the box that says: "Don't allow sites that set removed cookies to set future cookies.

"Webbnapping" MSN Cookie Data Crosses Domains
And, MSN GUIDs Are Accessible to Anyone, Utilized by Numerous Microsoft Domains Denies Access Without MSN Identifier Violates "Trusted Zone" Settings. A practice of creating a dummy web site for search engines to find, but having a "refresh" command in the meta tags that sends users to a different site.

The Ultimate Net Monitoring Tool May, 17, 2006
The equipment that technician Mark Klein learned was installed in the National Security Agency's "secret room" inside AT&T's San Francisco switching office isn't some sinister Big Brother box designed solely to help governments eavesdrop on citizens' internet communications.
Rather, it's a powerful commercial network-analysis product with all sorts of valuable uses for network operators. It just happens to be capable of doing things that make it one of the best internet spy tools around.
"Anything that comes through (an internet protocol network), we can record," says Steve Bannerman, marketing vice president of Narus, a Mountain View, California, company. "We can reconstruct all of their e-mails along with attachments, see what web pages they clicked on, we can reconstruct their (voice over internet protocol) calls."
Narus' product, the Semantic Traffic Analyzer, is a software application that runs on standard IBM or Dell servers using the Linux operating system. It's renowned within certain circles for its ability to inspect traffic in real time on high-bandwidth pipes, identifying packets of interest as they race by at up to 10 Gbps.

DEFEND YOUR PRIVACY

Like normal cookies, Flash cookies are represented as small files on users' computers. To prevent Flash cookies from being placed, users can adjust preferences on a per site basis in the Macromedia Website Privacy Settings Panel. Using this tool, Flash cookies can be completely disabled or allowed on a per domain basis.

To get to the settings panel, right click on any Flash movie, click settings and then advanced. Macromedia has published a walk through guide to help users disable Flash cookies.

Users can get rid of the current Flash cookies and their tracking information simply going to the correct folder (see below) and deleting them. The Flash cookies are organized in folders according to the site that placed them, so users can choose which objects to keep.

Firefox users can use Objection, a recently developed extension that adds a LSO deletion tool to Firefox preferences.

Where are Flash cookies stored?

Flash cookies are stored in a special directory depending on the operating system on the client machine. They are arranged in directories according to the site that placed them on the computer (look for a file with a .SOL extension):
Windows C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player
Macintosh OSX /Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player
GNU-Linux ~/.macromedia

HOW TO GET RID OF FLASH COOKIES

Settings Manager
Table of Contents
Flash Player Help
Settings Manager
Global Privacy Settings Panel
Global Storage Settings Panel
Global Security Settings Panel
Global Notifications Settings Panel
Website Privacy Settings Panel
Website Storage Settings Panel
Display Settings
Local Storage Settings
Microphone Settings
Camera Settings
Privacy Settings
Local Storage Pop-Up Question
Privacy Pop-Up Question
Security Pop-Up Question
About Updating Adobe Flash Player
What can I do with the Settings Manager?
How do I get to the Settings Manager?
What are privacy settings?
What are storage settings?
What are security settings?
What are automatic notification settings?
How can I manually check for updates?
If I've already set privacy and disk space options in my browser, do I need to do it again?
What can I do with the Settings Manager?

Adobe is committed to providing you with options to control SWF or FLV content and applications that run in Flash Player. The Adobe Flash Player Settings Manager lets you manage global privacy settings, storage settings, security settings, and automatic notification settings by using the following panels:
To specify whether websites must ask your permission before using your camera or microphone, you use the Global Privacy Settings panel.
To specify the amount of disk space that websites you haven't yet visited can use to store information on your computer, or to prevent websites you haven't yet visited from storing information on your computer, you use the Global Storage Settings panel.
To view or change your security settings, you use the Global Security Settings panel.
To specify if and how often Flash Player should check for updated versions, you use the Global Notifications Settings panel.
To view or change the privacy settings for websites you have already visited, you use the Website Privacy Settings panel.
To view or change the storage settings for websites you have already visited, or to delete information that any or all websites have already stored on your computer, you use the Website Storage Settings panel.
How do I get to the Settings Manager?

The Settings Manager is a special control panel that runs on your local computer but is displayed within and accessed from the Adobe website. Adobe does not have access to the settings that you see in the Settings Manager or to personal information on your computer.

Click the links below to open the specific Settings Manager panel that you want. The Settings Manager that you see on the page is not an image; it is the actual Settings Manager. To change your settings, click the tabs to see different panels, then click the options in the Settings Manager panels that you see on the web page.
Global Privacy Settings panel
Global Storage Settings panel
Global Security Settings panel
Global Notifications Settings panel
Website Privacy Settings panel
Website Storage Settings panel

The settings in the Settings Manager apply to all websites that contain SWF or FLV content, rather than just a specific website.
What are privacy settings?

Applications that run in Adobe Flash Player may want to have access to the camera and/or microphone available on your computer. Privacy settings let you specify whether you want applications from a particular website to have such access. Note that it is the person or company that has created the application you are using that is requesting such access, not Adobe (unless Adobe has created the application that wants access to your camera or microphone).

It is the responsibility of the person or company requesting access to make it clear to you why they want access and how they plan to use the audio or video. You should be aware of the privacy policy of anyone who is requesting audio or video access. For example, see the Adobe privacy policy. Contact the website requesting access for information on their privacy policy.

It's important to understand that even though this settings panel is part of Adobe Flash Player, the audio and video will be used by an application created by a third party. Adobe assumes no responsibility for third-party privacy policies, actions of third-party companies in capturing audio or video on your computer, or such companies' use of such data or information.

To specify privacy settings for all websites, use the Global Privacy Settings panel. To specify privacy settings for individual websites, use the Website Privacy Settings panel.
What are storage settings?

Applications that run in Adobe Flash Player may want to store some information on your computer, but the amount they can store is limited to 100 kilobytes unless you agree to allocate additional space. Local storage settings let you specify how much disk space, if any, applications from a particular website can use to store information on your computer. Note that it is the person or company that has created the application you are using that is requesting such access, not Adobe (unless Adobe has created the application that wants to save the information). It is the responsibility of the person or company requesting access to make it clear to you why they want access and how they plan to use the information they save. You should be aware of the privacy policy of anyone who is requesting access to your computer. For example, see the Adobe privacy policy. Contact the website requesting access for information on their privacy policy.

It's important to understand that even though this settings panel is part of Adobe Flash Player, the information will be used by an application created by a third party. Adobe assumes no responsibility for third-party privacy policies, actions of third-party companies in storing information on your computer, or such companies' use of such data or information.

To specify storage settings for websites you haven't yet visited, use the Global Storage Settings panel. To specify storage settings for websites you have already visited, use the Website Storage Settings panel.
What are security settings?

Adobe has designed Flash Player to provide security settings that do not require you to explicitly allow or deny access in most situations. Over time, as SWF and FLV content have become more sophisticated, Flash Player has also become more sophisticated, offering users additional privacy and security protections. However, you might occasionally encounter older SWF or FLV content that was created using older security rules. In these cases, Flash Player asks you to make a decision: You can allow the content to work as its creator intended, using the older security rules; or, you can choose to enforce the newer, stricter rules. The latter choice helps ensure that you only view or play content that meets the most recent standards of security, but it may sometimes prevent older SWF or FLV content from working properly.

When older content runs in a newer version of the player, and Flash Player needs you to make a decision about enforcing newer rules or not, you may see one of the following pop-up dialog boxes. These dialog boxes ask your permission before allowing the older SWF or FLV content to communicate with other locations on the Internet:
A dialog box might appear alerting you that the SWF or FLV content you are using is trying to use older security rules to access information from a site outside its own domain, and that information might be shared between two sites. Flash Player asks if you want to allow or deny such access.

In addition to responding to the dialog box, you can use the Global Security Settings panel to specify if Flash Player should always ask for your permission, through the dialog box, before allowing access; always deny access, without asking first; or always allow access to other sites or domains without asking your permission.
(Flash Player 8 and later) If you have downloaded SWF or FLV content to your computer, a dialog box might appear alerting you that the content is trying to communicate with the Internet. Flash Player 8 and later versions do not allow the local SWF or FLV content to communicate with the Internet, by default.

Using the Global Security Settings panel, you can specify that certain applications that run in Flash Player on your computer may communicate with the Internet.

To change your security settings or learn more about your options, see the Global Security Settings panel.
What are automatic notification settings?

Periodically, Adobe updates Flash Player with new features or corrections of problems. Automatic notification settings let you specify whether Adobe automatically notifies you when an updated version of Flash Player is available so that you can install the updated version right away.

Updates to Flash Player help ensure that Flash Player works properly and may include changes to security or new product functionality. Adobe recommends that you update to the latest version of Flash Player whenever a new version is available, especially when a security update is mentioned.

Although you may select whether to receive automatic notification of updates and how frequently to receive them, Adobe is not responsible for errors or security problems that occur because the version of Flash Player on your computer is not the most current version available.

Note: Automatic notification is available on most Microsoft Windows platforms. You also need to have permission to install software on your computer; that is, you need to log in as an administrator or as a user who has permission to install software.
How can I manually check for updates?

Users on all supported platforms can manually check whether their installed Flash Player is the latest, most secure version. To check which version of Flash Player you are running, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/about. This page runs a version test that reports your currently installed version of Flash Player and lists the latest available version for the platform. To install the latest version of Flash Player, visit http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer.

Users can check for Flash Player security advisories at http://www.adobe.com/support/security/#flashplayer. This takes you to a page that describes the available security updates for different versions of Flash Player. At the top of this page, you can also sign up to receive email notification of all future security advisories.
If I've already set privacy and disk space options in my browser, do I need to do it again?

You may be aware that some websites work together with your browser to store small amounts of data, called cookies, on your computer for their own use in the future. For example, when you go to a website regularly, it may welcome you by name; your name is probably stored in a cookie, and you can use browser options to determine whether you want cookies or not. You may also have specified in your browser that pages you visit can take up only a certain amount of disk space.

When SWF or FLV content is being played, the settings you select for Flash Player are used in place of options you may have set in your browser. That is, even if you have specified in your browser settings that you do not want cookies placed on your computer, you may be asked if an application that runs in Flash Player can store information. This happens because the information stored by Flash Player is not the same as a cookie; it is used only by the application, and has no relation to any other Internet privacy or security settings you may have set in your browser.

Similarly, the amount of disk space you let the application use has no relation to the amount of disk space you have allotted for stored pages in your browser. That is, when SWF or FLV content is being played, the amount of disk space you allow here is in addition to any space your browser is using for stored pages.

No matter how you may have configured your browser, you still have the option to allow or deny the application that runs in Flash Player permission to store the information, and to specify how much disk space the stored information can occupy.